Description
2020 Gold/1st Place Winner, Feathered Quill Book Awards Program—Women’s Fiction
“Altman’s writing is thoughtful and articulate. . . . The author speaks with sophistication and style about the experiences of American women in the recent past.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Diana Altman is a brilliantly clever novelist.”
—Scott Neuffer, Editor, Trampset
“Altman’s uncanny ability to yoke the everyday drama out of life and imbue her characters with an emotional complexity makes We Never Told a novel that gets to the essence of what family is. A tale that unfolds with nuance and an endearing sense of humor, this is the kind of writing that is impossible to shake as it bravely mirrors our collective experience of learning to love what feels at times impossible to embrace.”
—Liam Everett, award-winning artist
“In its finely observed depiction of family dynamics,We Never Told reminds me of Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping or Richard Ford’s Canada. This is a compelling novel that deserves to be widely read.”
—Graham Hillard, editor of the Cumberland River Review
“Diana Altman’s We Never Told is a witty, insightful, compelling novel about a woman’s journey to unlock a family secret that is burning a hole in her life. The deftly told story offers a fresh look at the way childhood myths cast shadows on adult life. This book grabbed me from the first page and never disappointed.”
—Nancy Newman, author of Disturbing the Peace
“Diana Altman’s We Never Told is a fascinatingly intimate look into a outwardly glamorous, inwardly fractured family, whose bonds are undermined by decades of secrecy. Ms. Altman’s prose is wise, comforting, absorbing, and generous. We Never Told is a deeply interesting, quietly stunning novel.”
—Cintra Wilson author of Fear and Clothing and former New York Times Critical Shopper
“The titles true value is in Altman’s fleshing out of characters and family dynamics in a style reminiscent of Wally Lamb.”
—Booklist
“[W]e all are a result of the influences of those around us. That is the beautiful lesson ofWe Never Told. Altman weaves together an incredible story of women, children, families, caretakers, the world in the late 20th century, and that of today, and makes each aspect of her story completely relevant to now. While the book takes place in the 20th century, it isn’t historical fiction but a timely read for today’s generation. It is one that I highly recommend.”
—Macsbooks
“Every house has ghosts as long as every family has secrets. This is something Westchester native and author Diana Altman knows well. Her newest novel, We Never Told, examines her family’s own truths in a painfully honest way that shows Altman’s ability to craft artful stories in the sweet spot between fantasy and the truth.”
—The Scarsdale Inquirer
“The characters in the book are real and relatable . . . . This book will speak to many for all the secrets we’ve kept, secrets we couldn’t keep, and secrets we wished we never knew.”
—BookTrib
